Post release 29th november 2018

The III International Conference “PULSE. New markets. New opportunities” was held on November 29, 2018 in Kyiv.

The Conference gathered around 300 participants from 32 countries of the world; among which there were manufacturers, trade companies, scientists, representatives of international organizations and state institutions of Ukraine.

The Conference has been held under support of the General Sponsor – Turkish Company “Akyurek” and the Exclusive Sponsor – National Company “Ukravit”/the Crop Care Institute, as well as Sponsors: Consulting Agency “UkrAgroConsult”, Companies “Agrodar” and “Agroleader Ukraine”.

The Conference began with welcoming speech of the Deputy Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine on European Integration Olga Trofimtseva and he President of the Public Association “Community of Pulse Producers and Customers of Ukraine” Antonina Sklyarenko. Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of India to Ukraine H.E. Mr. Partha Satpathy also addressed to participants of the Conference.

Among speakers of the Conference were experts on pulses from Ukraine, Israel, India and Turkey.

Within the framework of the Conference, the vital issues of the global and domestic pulse market, production and consumption balances, the peculiarities of international trade, the prospects of doing pulse business on the Indian market, as well as access opportunities to new sales markets. Results of the Conference show that farmers intend to continue the cultivation of pulse crops as export-oriented production.

In particular, during the Conference, participants had a chance to share their thoughts on how the pulse consumption trends would change; what future demand drivers would be. Special attention was paid to opportunities of pulse processing, their role in superfood segment and healthy diet system.

At the same time, participants agreed on the necessity to ensure the steady profitability of pulse producers through the insurance of agronomic effectiveness and creation of new value added chains, market diversification and the production of a wide range of products from pulses (super food, ingredients market, sport nutrition and other elite segments of the food industry).

All participants agreed on the importance of pulse crops both for producers and consumers. On the one hand, they are a water-saving and nitrogen-fixing crop. That is why they are also attractive to farmers from the economic point of view, they are necessary for crop rotation. On the other hand, their contribution cannot be underestimated from the point of view of protein content and importance in the dietary structure of people, especially in modern trends of healthy nutrition.

According to the latest forecasts of the UN, the world’s population will increase by more than 1 billion people in the next 15 years, reaching up to 8.5 billion people in 2030, to 9.7 billion people in 2050 and to 11.2 billion people in 2100.

Thus, in the next decades, the natural growth of food demand in the world will occur. In the next 10-20 years, taking into account the unresolved problems of poverty and significant income differentiation, the bulk demand will be for the simplest and most affordable food products. More than 2 billion people are facing the lack of vitamins and micronutrients that are necessary in the growth process and appropriate development.

That is why it can be said that the world demand for pulses will be increasing because pulse crops are the alternative to animal proteins, they contain a number of important micronutrients.

At the same time, changes that we are seeing today in the world pulse market require us to be prepared appropriately.

Becomes increasingly evident the necessity to reorient the export from the raw material sector to the high-level processing food products. For the pulse industry, such reorientation can be made with relatively small investments. At the same time, profit growth can reach tens of percent.

To sum up, the participants of the event noted that each country is unable to withstand global challenges individually, we need to consolidate efforts of all countries to ensure the sustainable development of the pulse industry, which is an important part in achieving the UN goals, in particular with regard to food security. Therefore, the global pulse market is a market of opportunities.

Also, during the Conference, the prizes were won among the participants from sponsors, namely, from the Company “Ukravit”, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN, the NGO “Organic Ukraine”, the Information Agency “APK-Inform”, the Agroindustrial Group “Arnika”, the Company “Ekointer Trade”.

The main prize was a trip to Prague for two on New Year holidays from the Company Group “Bionorma”.

To recap, the III International Conference “Pulse. New markets. New opportunities” has become an integral annual international event of the pulse world, a special tradition that is being held for the third time, and gathers all participants of the pulse industry to exchange ideas and experience, to discuss issues, future prospects and trends in the development of the pulse crops market both in Ukraine and on the global level.

The host of the Conference was a team of the Public Association “Community of Pulse Producers and Customers of Ukraine”.

Reference information on the Community of Pulse Producers and Customers of Ukraine: